We have had a great month over here in the Brown household.  We have had so much going on, and through it all our sweet Georgia has remained healthy and out of the hospital.  We moved to a new home the week after Thanksgiving, and that whole week we were getting ready to move, Georgia kept running fevers.   I couldnt think of anything worse than having to fit a hospital stay on top of everything else we had to do.  She recieved a lot of antibiotics, and our prayers in the middle of the night were answered and her fevers never became unmanageable.  Miss Georgia had her last chemo treatment of the year about a week ago.   This was her last chemo treatment before she starts her two years of "maintenance".   Maintenance will start next week on the 2nd with a lumbar puncture, methotrexate (chemo) shot up her spine and into her brain, and Vincristine which is another chemo through an IV.  I cannot keep track of how many times she has already had this procedure done.  After her lumbar puncture someone from the Children's Oncology Group will come and randomly select what her treatment course will look like for the next 2 years.  Georgia is on study, so a random selection of about 4 options will be chosen, and that will be her treatment.  They are all very similar.  One will be chemo once a month and steroids one week per month for 2 years, the other will be the same dose, just every 3 months instead of 1 month.  And then there will be 2 alternative treatments with different doseages but same intervals of time.  I am very nervous to hear my daughter's treatment fate.  Weather or not her body needs chemo and steroids once a month to fight her cancer, I will cry if that is the treatment she gets.  I will cry.  I may even be a total mess.  How can I do this for 2 more years?  Georgia does NOT do well on steroids.  How can I give them to her for a week every month?   It has taken her 2 months to loose the weight she put on after one week of steroids in October.  And she goes nutty on the steroids.  She screams for hours on end.  How can we do this 24 more times?  And I cant handle the thought of what it would do to her little body.   I have just been praying that Georgia will be randomized into the treatment plan that her body needs to keep the cancer from coming back.  That is all I can do.  All I can do is pray and trust in the Lord.  It will take tremendous faith for me to truly believe that the random treatment plan she gets assigned will be what the Lord knows is best for her.   But that is the only way I can think about the situation without making myself crazy with worry and remorse.  So far I just have not been thinking about it.  I have tried to put it out of my mind.  I hate crying.  I have been keeping myself busy packing and unpacking and getting the house ready for Christmas.

Christmas.  Christmas was wonderful.  It was our first Christmas in our own house.  Our first Christmas in our new house.  As soon as the furniture was in I was putting up Christmas decorations.  We had a beautiful Christmas day.  All of my side of the family came and we had a full house all day.  Which is just what I love on Christmas.  Georgia was so funny.  A few days before Christmas her aunt Whittlee asked her if Santa was going to come to her this year.  Georgia said "Yes."  Whittlee; "are you sure?  have you been good this year?" Georgia thought about ti for a bit and then said "Well if I havent, I know Grandma will get me lots of presents."  On Christmas she just kept gushing about all of her gifts. She kept thanking me and saying how she couldnt believe she actually got everything she wanted.  "I didnt think I had been good!"  She got a big doll house and My Little Pony dolls.  SHe is obsessed with those dolls.  And loves her doll house.  Cooper got a telescope and has it all figured out.  He has the perfect room for it with a window facing the east that has  great views of the Superstitions and Four Peaks because there is so much open space between us and the next house.  It is the perfect window for looking at stars.   Miss Tallulah has been as cute as ever.  She loves her new Elmo and "It's a Small World" singing Disney Dolls. (I love those too)
Our new home has been such a blessing.  A wonderful distraction for all of us.  We have lots to do here and plenty to repair and fix!

As I approach the new year, I do so with much hope and apprehension.   I hope our prayers are answered and our little girl is taken care of.  I hope she gets the treatment her body needs.  I hope I have the strength I will need to carry through this coming year, particularly if she ends up with the more aggressive treatment.  We also have hope that our home in Tulsa sells quickly (that is a source of much stress and anxiety!) and that our new baby girl comes into this world without a hitch.

I am also OVERWHELMED with gratitude as I reflect on the blessings our family has received this year.  They just keep coming our way.  And I hope they continue to do so!!!!

Georgia's doll house and My Little Pony dolls she asked Santa for

Our first Christmas morning with just our little family

setting up a hammock is hard work

I think everyone is just waiting for a turn in the hammock.  My dad never came out of there so there was a lot of waiting.

Baby David

Cooper and Sadie

Lyle is such a fun uncle.

Whittlee is due in 3 weeks!

we had fun taking dorky pictures

Stew and Whitt

Tallulah LOVES Stewart

 The Children's Cancer network spoiled these kids.  They got lots of fun stuff.  You can see by their faces they were pretty dang excited!

 Whittlee on the violin, Anna on the harp and Emily on the flute.  Beautiful Christmas music!

 Georgia shared her fingernail polish with Tallulah

I love this smile

Georgia got the My Little Pony she had been wanting and a comfy peace sign robe from the Children's Cancer Network.  She had to wear it on a walk to grandma's.  She looked like a hospital escapee!

Our Christmas card picture attempts...